Letterspacing (?) as a variable in my singleline script

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Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
in Font Technology
I'm working on single-line script typeface (as far in my own SVG format) for engraving purposes, and i want to use letter-spacing as variable value.

is the name "letterspacing" accurate?

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Comments

  • Mark Simonson
    Mark Simonson Posts: 1,752
    You could use width since you are changing the widths of the characters, not the space between them (they are touching).
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    If you want to keep it simple use Width like Mark suggests; ideally I might call it Span.
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    @Mark Simonson @Hrant H. Papazian  Thank You. Most probably Idea for "Width" as "keep it simple" win :)  It will be hard enough to show CNC-users that a typeface can be variable.
  • Matthijs Herzberg
    Matthijs Herzberg Posts: 155
    DJR's latest font, Extendomatic, contains a similar function. In the variable font, the width axis is referred to as "Tracking". Whether that's the most appropriate term is up for debate, but it certainly makes sense to me.
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    Matthijs Herzberg said:
    ... axis is referred to as "Tracking"...
    You're right, "Tracking" could be a good term for it, but from my point of view is too confusing with the slider found in most programs and "bad tracking of scripts".
    btw.  my new test of 2 axes - width (letterspacing) & stroke






  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    Call the axis GOODTracking.  :->
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    Hrant H. Papazian said:
    ... GOODTracking. ...
    good idea, especially since "bad tracking" will be available all the time in settings :->




  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,475
    Beautiful work, Grzegorz! 

    I encourage you to use wdth and wght axes for this. 
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 3,015
    +1 to using width ('wdth')

    Conceptually, it is a connected script with a width axis. No reason to invent something new.
  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,475
    One concern I have with a spacing/tracking axis is that it needs to work across the entire design space, and across all the kerning. 

    I'm yet to see any demo font that does this, despite it being talked about since 2016. 

    Has anyone seen such a font?
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    edited May 2021
    @Thomas Phinney  thank You
    @Matthew Smith
    [...]  (especially if you don’t see yourself drawing an axis with narrower or wider base/core letterforms) [...]
    thanks for paying my attention. I will probably want to add such an axis in future and I would have to change axes names  :)
    One concern I have with a spacing/tracking axis is that it needs to work across the entire design space, and across all the kerning. [...]

    don't forget about ligatures :)

  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,475
    LOL

    Since you are planning to add such an axis in future, I retract my proposal. 

    I'm curious what you propose instead of width.

    In the parametric axes system, changes isolated to X and Y dimensions use that as basis of the first letter of the axis code, and then if it's effects ink (opacity) or space (transparency) for the second letter. So I will probably register something "XT??" for this with Google Fonts. XTRK for X Transparency Tracking? XTSP for X Transparency Spacing?
  • Thomas Phinney
    Thomas Phinney Posts: 3,015
    Right, if there is a significant chance of having both kinds of width axis in the future, def save the one called “width” for the more normal implementation.
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    first "quick and dirty" prototype of normal Width axis made me sure that it is worth keeping the name for the future - cooperation of these two axes has potential
    now I like the Span proposal of @Hrant H. Papazian more and more...
  • Dave Crossland
    Dave Crossland Posts: 1,475
    I think its good for users to have separate control of the 'X Transparency' changes within a glyph from the 'X Transparency Spacing' changes between glyphs, instead of blending them. 

    The initial lexend.com fonts by Thomas Jockin did this, with a single LXND axis, and the latest ones at https://github.com/FontBureau/fb-lexend split them out.
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    edited June 2021
    first demo engravings:


    and first pre-release on-line:  www.glukfonts.pl/g/LimpelkaSL
    with Span & Width axes in Variables tab.
    Thank You for all Sugestions!
  • Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian
    Hrant Հրանդ Փափազեան Papazian Posts: 2,044
    Nice!
    Congrats, and good luck.
  • Grzegorz Luk (gluk)
    Grzegorz Luk (gluk) Posts: 161
    Hrant H. Papazian said:
    Nice!
    Congrats, and good luck.
    Thank You,
    I think I will need a lot of luck with my "TypoGuerilla"   ;)


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